Conventional anti-wear lubricants rely on additives containing elements that combine with the rubbing surfaces (usually iron or some other metal) and the resulting metal salt, i.e., iron phosphate, acts to separate the rubbing surfaces at the microscopic level. The metallic compounds have melting points and frictional values that allow the rubbing surfaces to move over one another without catastrophic failure either at the microscopic or macroscopic level. Recently, the levels of the main anti-wear chemical in the lubrication industry, zinc dialkyldithiophosphate (ZDP or ZDDP), have been used at lower levels for various reasons (poisoning of catalytic converters in automotive exhaust systems or waste treatment facilities of manufacturers that use hydraulic oils containing ZDDP). Further, it is not an uncommon experience that car and machinery owners do not always maintain their equipment on a timely basis, when they should be all the more vigilant due to the minimal anti-wear contents of their present day lubricants.
As discussed herein, the present disclosure relates to the use of lubricating compositions that include carbon nanoparticles comprising nanodiamonds. Nano sized particles (i.e, particles on the order of 1-100×10−9 m) have been proposed for a variety of applications in which they are to be mixed with fluids. However, the particles tend to agglomerate and clump together and otherwise resist the formation of a uniform and homogeneous dispersion in the fluid. In addition, the nanoparticles can cause the formation of regions of electrical charge which may be undesirable. Thus, a need has arisen for a lubricant composition and method of making the same which overcomes the foregoing challenges.